Attention all Knifemakers!.....Product dealers/retailers and/or knife makers/sharpeners/hobbyists (etc) are not permitted to insert business related text/videos/images (company/company name/product references) and/or links into your signature line, your homepage url (within the homepage profile box), within any posts, within your avatar, nor anywhere else on this site. Market research (such as asking questions regarding or referring to products/services that you make/offer for sale or posting pictures of finished projects) is prohibited. These features are reserved for supporting vendors and hobbyists.....Also, there is no need to announce to the community that you are a knifemaker unless you're trying to sell something so please refrain from sharing.
Thanks for your co-operation!

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

tang broaches? block size?

Hello everyone, I was wondering if any of you use tang broaches to open up the tang hole?( does that sound right.lol). Also , what is a good size for a wood block to be - used for the oct handles and other types. 1 1/2 x 6" ?. The ones I use for hunters and edc is a min of 1 1/2 x 1 x 5"-Thank you-Mark

Hello everyone, I was wondering if any of you use tang broaches to open up the tang hole?( does that sound right.lol). Also , what is a good size for a wood block to be - used for the oct handles and other types. 1 1/2 x 6" ?. The ones I use for hunters and edc is a min of 1 1/2 x 1 x 5"-Thank you-Mark

Not sure what a tang broach is? I use a drill press... Blanks I try to get in 1 1/4 x 1 1/8 x 5 minimum - that doesn;t leave much room for error, so a bit larger is fine, especially if they may warp during stabilizing. I have almost everything stabilized except for the obvious ones like ebony, ironwood or very oily wosewoods.

I use broaches all the time in my handles. Definitely worth making yourself at least one.

I made these as a gift, but if you went over to the forum-that-shall-not-be-named, I'm sure you could talk one of the other custom/forging guys into making you one with some of their scrap steel. You don't even need handles like this, just a little bulb on the end is all I have on mine. I have a long skinny one that is also used for scraping out the glue inside my sword scabbards. Quite useful little guys.
-M

Ive made my own broaches and had some good results ( compared to how I used to dig into a block ) but MS John Perry's is hard to beat. Its worth the price!! Michael Rader those are some beauties!!-Marekz

Hello , so um, as far as the size block i would want is 1 1/4 x 1 1/8 x 5? I was thinking to be safe 1 1/2 x 1/2 x 6 would be optimal for someone trying out a different style handle. In general however, when you all look for blocks or cut your own is 1 1/4 x 1 1/8 x 5 abouy right. I also dont want to waste alot of wood. Most of my cut blocks are 1 1/2 x 1 1/8 x 5 but it seems like an odd size to try an oct handle- Thanks-Mark

My finished handles are about 1X3/4 and whatever length, so I shoot for just bit over that in the rough, I do the finish sizing with a hand plane for the most part so I can work pretty close. It kind of depends on how you work and what tools you use. Make some and see how it works for you! A little practice doesn't hurt, ya know!

Spike C
"The Buddha resides as comfortably in the circuits of a digital computer or the gears of a cycle transmission as he does at the top of a mountain."
Pirsig